"palling Around" In Hyde Park

November 4, 2008

My father, a welcome, perennial source of "wait and see"-ism during this campaign season, relays his experience voting first thing this morning, in sunny Hyde Park (yes, "that one"):

I wanted to vote early. I came out of our driveway at 6:30 and the
whole street, both sides of our street, were just lined with American
flags—the whole way to Obama's house. I don't know who did it but I've
never seen anything like it. They changed the voting area, so it was at
Shoesmith [Middle School]. And it turned out
we were all waiting because of Obama. A lot of people came because they
knew he was going to be voting there. They clogged the whole place up,
between people who wanted to vote and people who wanted to see Obama.
And then he showed up! And everybody was just screaming and yelling,
and then he voted and Michelle voted. I was there for over an
hour—impatient me—but I waited.

My favorite part is that some merry prankster (or zealous Obama aide) littered our street with flags. I wish there were a photo. But in a neighborhood of terrorists (wingers are already pointing out that Farakkhan and Ayers voted at Shoesmith as well), it's the equivalent of Bin Laden chanting "USA," no?